


roll here in my ashes

by HuiLian



Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [2]
Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Off-screen torture, Open Ending, Whump, YeetDC2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:53:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25147288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuiLian/pseuds/HuiLian
Summary: Dick twists and extends his arm into Damian's cell, so Damian doesn't have to travel as far to reach him.He would give anything to switch places with Damian.But he can't do that. No matter how many times Dick negotiates, pleads, begs, with their captors, they never disturb Dick. He's tried every language he knows, every trick he possesses, every bit of charm he could scrounge up, and still, it's Damian they reach for every time.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne
Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821709
Comments: 21
Kudos: 117





	roll here in my ashes

**Author's Note:**

> For Batman Bingo 2020, prompt: "am I going to die?"  
> title from hozier, because I don't know what to title this.

They dump Damian back to his cell, in precisely 1217 breaths after they took him. Dick counts every single one of them. 

Dick moves closer to Damian, as close as his cell allows. Damian is laying down on the opposite end of his cell, where Dick can't reach him. He knows. He has tried again and again before. It's like they purposely designed the cells so that Dick can almost just touch Damian. 

Dick looks Damian over. There's no new visible injury, but Dick knows better than most that just because it's invisible doesn't mean it's not there. 

Damian mumbles something. Dick can't hear it, but he's not going to force Damian to say it again. Dick can wait. There’s nothing to do but wait, after all. 

Dick settles down, leaning to the bars of his cell, and starts to count. 

One.

*

At 564, Damian starts to crawl towards Dick. This, too, is routine by now. The act, at least, if not the timing. It takes Damian longer and longer to pick himself up from the pained daze that he’s in when they dump him in. It worries Dick, but what doesn’t worry Dick about this entire situation? 

Dick twists and extends his arm into Damian's cell, so Damian doesn't have to travel as far to reach him.

He would give anything to switch places with Damian. 

But he can't do that. No matter how many times Dick negotiates, pleads,  _ begs _ , with their captors, they never disturb Dick. He's tried every language he knows, every trick he possesses, every bit of charm he could scrounge up, and still, it's Damian they reach for every time. 

So Dick stretches his arm as far as it can go, trying to give Damian the bit of comfort he could. It’s nothing in the face of constant torture, but Damian seems to be clinging to it, and as long as Damian wants it, Dick is always going to give it to him. 

It’s the least he can do. 

Damian’s hand reaches Dick’s fingers, but Dick doesn’t pull. It’s an awkward position for him to be pulling, but also, Dick doesn’t know what they are doing to Damian. His pulling Damian may just cause more pain. 

Besides, Dick isn’t even sure he has the strength to pull Damian. Dick has been practically giving Damian all of his food. Damian needs it more, but it did leave Dick weak and tired. 

Again, the least he can do. 

Dick grabs Damian’s fingers as tight as he can, however. Just because he’s not pulling Damian closer doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to. Dick grabs Damian’s fingers as tight as he can, telling Damian that he’s there, he’s not going anywhere. Telling Damian to take his time, to not push himself further than he already has. 

Damian then slowly, painstakingly, pulls himself closer and closer to Dick. As soon as he could, Dick stretches his other arm in, touching Damian’s shoulder. It seems to give Damian the energy he needed to reach the bars separating his cell and Dick’s. 

Why, Dick doesn’t know. It’s not like Dick has done anything useful to get them out of this situation. 

Damian reaches the bars, then immediately collapses. Dick barely got his arms under Damian in time to stop him from plummeting to the ground. 

Dick moves his arm to cradle Damian’s head, and pulls him as close as he can. It’s not the most comfortable position, but Dick will live. As long as Damian is comfortable, Dick can handle the strain. He matches his breaths to Damian’s, and starts to count again. 

Six hundred twenty-nine. 

Six hundred thirty.

*

At 903, Damian whispers, "Am I going to die?” 

He hasn’t moved in two hundred seventy-four breaths, still pressed as close to Dick as the bars allows him to be. That's the only reason Dick can hear him.

Dick tightens his hold around Damian, and says, “No. No. You’re not going to die, Damian, okay?” 

Everyone is searching for them. They must be. They must be. 

But. It's been days. Damian have more tolerance for pain and torture than almost all kids his age do--that's a whole other nightmare that Dick can't afford to delve in now-- but even he must be reaching his breaking point. They might not make it here in time. 

Dick looks at Damian, at this child who has faced unspeakable horrors in his life and still manages to be kind, and vows to himself. Damian is not going to die. Not if Dick can help it.

But how? Dick has tried everything. Without his gear, he can’t do anything. The best he can do now is hold Damian and prays that Bruce is coming, and that he’s coming fast. 

Dick lifts his hands from Damian’s neck and puts it on the top of Damian’s head. Then he starts to stroke Damian’s hair, very, very gently. 

Dick says again, “You’re not going to die, Damian. Your dad will come, you’ll see. He’ll come.” 

Dick just wishes he believes that. 

Nine hundred sixteen.

Nine hundred seventeen.

Nine hundred eighteen.

*

At 1254, Dick starts to hear the clinking of weapons. They’ve come again to take Damian. 

Dick wishes he can say that he fought. He wishes he can say that he held on to Damian as long as he can, that he fought them from taking Damian from his arms, but the truth is, he didn’t. He doesn’t have enough strength left to fight them. 

He refuses to let Damian go, of course, but it doesn’t matter to them. They just come in, pull on Damian’s legs, and drag him outside. 

Damian doesn’t fight anymore, too. He also doesn’t have enough strength left.

Dick watches them take Damian away, and starts counting. 

One. 

Two.

Three.

Four. 

*

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> sorry :(  
> my card is at my tumblr, which is [ here ](huilian.tumblr.com). Come say hi or to prompt something!  
> kudos and comments are always welcome!


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